I have visited the Mona Lisa, permanently displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, definitely not the back roads.
It was a time when only a flimsy, drooping security cord affixed to several shiny poles prohibited your proximity to the masterpiece. That was during a French language student exchange program a long time ago.
I like museums, especially small ones.
Museums are important because they are part of the identity of a community.
Even more so, northern Ontario small town museums are important because they preserve local history and identity. Most are now closed until next summer.
Small town museums are different when compared to larger cities. Science North and Dynamic Earth, and The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre are attractions, as is Fort William Historical Park. They are kind of like museums, but the newer way with catchy titles and technology.
Some local heritage is often displayed in the tourist information centres. That’s another more contemporary transition. Community libraries and municipal office complexes are utilized as well. And there are provincial parks’ interpretative centres.
There’s a financial sustainability struggle, too, for these smaller museums. There’s also the question, do younger people care to visit a museum.
This summer, in between back roads’ stories, I crisscrossed the north and visited many communities looking for where they display their heritage.
Two issues contributed to the closure of some small community museums - those being a lack of funding from the parent municipality or the historical society, if there is such a connection, and no students to take on the summer work.
Black River-Matheson (Thelma Miles Historical Museum- closed since COVID) is linked to the former reason, and White River Heritage Museum (Winnie-the-Pooh), the latter.
Others are suffering the same fate. The Elliot Lake Museum does not currently have a permanent, staffed exhibition space.
But for curiosity’s sake, I was looking for the most unique, interesting artifact/item that others may not have.
It was a daunting task just because of our geography and the numbers.
But first…
Museum associations
Museums as community hubs; they provide unique educational opportunities while fostering a strong sense of community connection.
The Ontario Museum Association (OMA) was established in 1972. It is a member organization that represents more than 700 museums, galleries, and historic sites, 11,000 museum professionals, and 35,000 museum volunteers across Ontario. In northern Ontario, there are thirty-six OMA members (but community heritage is displayed in other ways as you read on).
Alison Drummond is the Executive Director and has been at the helm since January 2025. She worked at the Legislative Library as a researcher before joining the Ontario Public Service. She held increasingly responsible roles in the OPS, mainly at the Ministry of Finance, retiring in 2022 as an Assistant Deputy Minister.
I asked her why people should visit museums, and particularly small-town museums.
“I think the easy answer is that museums allow people to know about their community. Small town museums are the best examples of this. They are archives sometimes, when people are doing genealogical research. Donations of artifacts/items come from residents; it is all about telling the community story.”
Also, “The fact that the federal government created the Canada Strong Pass, allowing for free admission, speaks to Canadian identity as fostered by museums.
She said there is an ongoing struggle to get volunteers and funding within the community for small-town museums.
Not all museums are OMA members, so there are many more. You must do your Google homework for each community to find out what’s where and what is available on display.
Unique artifacts
There are many examples to share. I used what I had learned from OMA about community to pick out these examples. These artifacts told compelling stories.
The Nipissing Township Museum is located in the Village of Nipissing, south of Callander towards Restoule. Gillian Bernas is Museum Manager.
“Our museum was opened in 1974, and since then, we have been privileged to receive many interesting and unique artifacts from our local community!
“One artifact that represents our museum uniquely is this basket: referred to as The Beatty Basket, although it may look unassuming, according to family lore, this was the basket which transported one of the earliest settlers to their new home in Nipissing. John and Elizabeth Beatty were travelling from Eganville to the South River in what later became the Township of Nipissing across the frozen lakes and rivers in the late winter. Suddenly, as they were crossing a shallower area of Lake Nipissing, the ice began to break under their horses’ hooves. The Beattys’ youngest child was still an infant and was travelling in the basket – to preserve her child, Elizabeth flung the basket out onto the solid ice while she assisted John in rescuing the horses from the water. They succeeded in getting their horses, goods, and children to shore. Such an experience would be harrowing, all the more so knowing that any medical attention was several days away in Pembroke.
“There are many such stories of hardship and survival that have been passed down, as many settlers followed in the Beattys’ footsteps (or sleigh tracks).
“This basket captures the imagination and represents the essence of those ‘pioneer’ experiences for many of our visitors, for it is not just a family story. The arrival of the Beatty family is so closely tied to the establishment of the settlement here in Nipissing and its subsequent changes; it is part of our whole community’s story.”
Check mark, these artifacts tell stories experientially.
Others
After a trip to Gogama, I wrote two stories for Village Media – one on the excess homes found there and the other on the amazing, larger-than-life Wolf Man.
While there, I also visited the Gogama Heritage Museum, which opened its doors on June 15, 2012. It's staffed by volunteers who preside over the day-to-day operations as they can and is housed in the old Hudson Bay Company store built in 1922.
Small town museums usually don’t have curators; they have people who have lived there for a long time, who care and who embrace community heritage.
Gerry Talbot is one of those. Surprisingly, this museum has a sizeable collection of Dionne Quintuplets memorabilia – donated by a community member. Another OMA thought about the importance of small-town museums.
Then he brought forward this flat, well-worn item, a little bigger than a traditional, rectangular bread cutting board. It had close-knit spikes hammered throughout. “What is this, Bill?”
It is an earlier bear deterrent device that loggers and pioneers would put outside their windows, covered by leaves. “Ouch!”
Speaking of the Quints. The Callander Bay Heritage Museum & Alex Dufresne Gallery (1982) has a large Quintuplets’ theme. The Quints really started tourism in the north post their birth on May 28, 1934. Annette Dionne is the lone survivor of the identical quintuplets.
She is a curator at a small-town museum. Natasha Wiatr is also a younger person.
“One item we have is the original basket the girls were placed in when they were first born. It belonged to Mme. Legros, one of the midwives who attended the birth, and it was on display at the time in her souvenir shop. Tourists would come and snap pieces of the basket off to take home with them, so she built a display case for it. It was also the source of an alleged physical altercation between Mme. Legros and a member of the family that she worked for, and a lawsuit over ownership of the basket. Mme. Legros won, and the basket stayed in her possession.
But the following is equally important in how she feels about her position.
“Museums matter to me because they are the gatekeepers of the past for both present and future generations. They are the crucial link that keeps history alive and relevant in our present society, and they help to improve the lives of individuals.
“Without museums, the knowledge of the past would be less relevant, and perspectives would never be challenged. These institutions connect the individual, as well as the community, to people and events of the past while fostering awe and inspiration within them. This is why I’m so excited to be breaking into this industry, because I want to be at the forefront of bringing museums into a new age where technology combines with artifacts of the past to create innovative and informative exhibitions that have a lasting impact on all generations to come.” We are in good hands.
Naomi Hehn is the Director/Curator at the North Bay Museum situated at the waterfront. It is a larger museum.
“At 240 years old, a violin is one of the oldest artifacts currently on display at the North Bay Museum. The North Bay Nugget reported that North Bay’s 'oldest violin' was played on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario’s float during the 1925 Old Home Week parade. The violin is visible being played in the centre of the first section of the float, in the attached image. Museum staff believe that the violin currently on display may be the same violin that was played during Old Home Week.
According to a label stitched to its case, the violin was made on March 1st, 1785, and repaired in 1855 before being repaired again in December 1936 by J. Thurlow, North Bay, Ont.
“The violin was owned by Simon Saya, who received it from his mother-in-law, Mrs. John Barker. After being passed down through the family for generations, the violin was donated to the North Bay Museum in 1980. Conservation work was completed to ensure the violin could safely be displayed.” There is always the needed provenance.
Almost next door is the Dionne Quints Museum. Ed Valenti is the Chair of Dionne Quints Heritage Board.
Within the original homestead, they have the original wood stove. He said, “It has remained in its location, every time the home has been moved (the Quints' home had moved around).
“It has the unique mirror above, so that Mom can watch her children.”
And the water incubator. “Gas-fired incubators were taken away, most likely for their metal parts needed for the war. All five babies were in these at the beginning.”
More stops
So much to see and learn.
Many stops. So, in passing and in brief.
At the Marathon & District Historical Society’s little museum, three-year summer student Parker Bell led me to the full-scale model of the former mill (American Can – Tembec) complex. He says this represents “Marathon’s history, I’m proud of my town.” The complex has now all been removed from the waterfront, and new developments are being planned. A different site and sight.
At Neys Provincial Park near Terrace Bay, there’s a found scuffed orange life ring from the famed shipwreck and Gordon Lightfoot song of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald. It just ended up on the beach one day, far to the west of where the ship went down on November 10, 1975, closer to Whitefish Bay.
At the Nipigon Historical Museum, they went out of their way to open the museum to Back Roads Bill after hours. This was appreciated. It showcases the World Record Brook Trout caught in the Nipigon River and Google: the Beardmore relics (the Vikings were here?). You can ruminate on the Vikings.
A big city museum with a curatorial staff is the Thunder Bay Museum (TBM). Located in a historic building, which once served as a police station and courthouse, the Thunder Bay Museum offers visitors six galleries of local, regional and national heritage. It is a gem because they have an archive.
On purpose, I asked Mary Jane MacDonald in the Collections department about the belongings of Wendell Beckwith, the hermit of White Water Lake. They are in storage, and she sent a photo. It brought me closer to a kindred spirit.
But the exceptional piece at the TBM is the Birch bark Master or Teaching Scroll from the Midewiwin - Grand Medicine Society of the Ojibwe.
This scroll was received by a trainee Medicine Man from his tutor on completion of his training, the point at which he was accepted into the Society and could begin his work of curing the ills of the people. The scroll, made of birch bark, the inner side of which is incised with characters and covered with red ochre, is made in four parts attached with bark.
For cultural learning purposes, this should be seen.
The Atikokan museum was closed on the Sunday I was there. I wanted to see memorabilia connected to the iron ore story I had filed last year on September 14, 2024. I should have made an appointment, which the website says you can do.
At the Ignace Public Library, attached to the town complex, at the west end of Highway 11, Library Assistant Chelsea Barker showed me two detailed replicas of the White Otter Castle. If you can’t make it to the castle, this is the next best vantage point. There is also a historic fire tower and an exhibit in their parking lot.
At the Wawa Goose and Visitors Centre, information local writer and historian Johanna Rowe selected a novel egg crate made out of bed spring coils within a fashioned dynamite box. That was neat.
In Hearst, the well-done sawmill museum is closed, but you can make an appointment at the nearby visitor centre/town office with the wolves and moose tourism icons. I did and was not disappointed. It gave me the flavour of a traditional sawmill.
I liked the stop in Kapuskasing at the Ron Morel Memorial Museum. Three-year summer student, with a passion for history, Anabelle Nadeau told me the Prisoner of War Internment Camp is the highlight. During World War I, the Canadian government worried about enemy aliens residing within the country; their solution was to create internment camps across the country. (My mother was born there – another story.) Lots of photos of what it was like during a unique time in Canadian history.
This is different but a worthwhile stop on your travels, any time of the year. The Iroquois Falls Public Library continues to hold the significant "Jordan Collection" of over one thousand Indigenous artifacts from a number of regional First Nations that lived on the traditional Lake Abitibi-Abitibi River watershed. It is one of the best exhibits anywhere, behind well-protected cabinets with good labelling. A repatriation of the collection was planned. It was originally put together by retired archaeologist Dr. John Pollock.
The winner
There were many visits to museums and the like, and there was no contest.
The Schreiber Discovery Centre & Railway Museum caught my attention, though, for several reasons, because this small-town museum embraces the future.
First off, the museum acts as a central hub for the community, showcasing the experiences of the railway workers and the historical events that shaped the town.
It is a relatively new attraction opening in 2022 that evolved from a long-held dream by community member Ray Gionet to showcase the town's history as a major Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) hub.
Ray explained, “The museum's history is intrinsically linked to the town itself, which was founded as a railway construction camp in 1883 and renamed after railway engineer Sir Collingwood Schreiber in 1885. The museum started small in the town's downtown core but was relocated into a brand-new facility on the Trans-Canada Highway due to its growing popularity.”
It features a brand-new state-of-the-art building, including a restored CP Rail 6539 locomotive, a boxcar converted into a mini-theatre, and an 80-foot vintage mail/baggage car preserving and displaying artifacts and documents related to Schreiber's deep connection to the railway.
The museum's history began with Ray sharing his vision for a train museum with Don McArthur in 1992. From an initial town meeting with over 60 people attending. A committee was formed and started a festival called Heritage Days to help fund the museum, which is still happening yearly in July.
“From that first meeting, so many people jumped on board to bring this dream to reality. The Township of Schreiber, both provincial and federal governments, many organizations, and volunteers were involved to bring this vision to fruition.”
It preserves CP Rail artifacts and documents, alongside personal stories and photographs, to share the town's rich railway heritage with its many visitors. So, this goes back to what Alison from the OMA said.
Like Ray says, “It's one thing to dream it, but it took a whole community to get it done.” (It is not a member of the OMA.)
The following long list is not for creating copy for this story. It is to salute community pride. I have been to 24 on the OMA list. I passed with a C grade. There’s more to see.
For example, from the list Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre, Stratton. It is one of the most significant centres of early habitation and ceremonial burial in Canada.
From Assiginack Museum and Heritage Park in Assiginack to the Transportation Museum of Thunder Bay (Alexander Henry), there are so many to see and experience on the back roads that one could be busy for a long time.
There’s more to visit!
The next visit is to the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre on October 17 in the Soo. Meet me there.
Now the Mona Lisa painting is behind a protective, climate-controlled, and bulletproof glass case to ensure its safety and preservation, and there are long lineups where people taking photos have to crop out someone’s head. It is seen by roughly 80% of the Louvre's visitors, which is around 20,000 to 30,000 people per day, or between 8 and 10 million people per year, but the Louvre Museum sets a daily visitor cap at 30,000 to manage crowds.
Closer to home, ask about the unique offerings in each community museum, attraction or gallery.
Museums do and will change, and there are many to visit in northern Ontario for your destination checklist. Visit one when you can on your way to the back roads.